Unraveling
by Toria-Phoenix
Summary: Attempting to lessen Wilbur’s growing hatred for his father, Franny decides to send Wilbur back in time so he might have a better understanding of the sacrifices his father has made but love makes everything unexpected. Slash LewisWilbur.


Title: Unraveling

Author: ToriaPhoenix

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: Wilbur/Lewis, Franny/OC, Wilbur/Cornelius

Summary: Attempting to lessen Wilbur's growing hatred for his father, Franny decides to send Wilbur back in time so he might have a better understanding of the sacrifices his father has made; but somehow Wilbur ends up falling in love with the blond inventor.

Warnings: Slash, kinda-sorta-not-really-incest! Don't like it, then don't read it, and for heavens sake, DON'T review just to tell me I'm disgusting and going to Hell.

A/N- So dang. This was intended to be a small little one shot, and it turned into a forty-page angst/fluffy time story. But, yeah, I like it a lot. I didn't edit it because… well, I'm lazy, but if you find mistakes and remember to point them out, I'll fix it. I've taken liberties with the characters- I know the plot of The Robinsons supposedly makes Cornelius thirty/forty years older then Wilbur, but I've chopped that down so he's only eighteen years older then Wilbur.

Feedback is a must. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Wilbur stabbed his macaroni viciously, glaring heatedly at the cheesy pasta. Shoving a forkful into his mouth, he barely chewed before swallowing the huge mouthful, choking slightly in the process. When he went to stab more of the innocent pasta, his gaze caught his mothers from the other side of the table. She was looking at him worriedly, face worn and tired.

"Wilbur…" She paused, biting her lip. Seeing Wilbur's glare had narrowed on her, she tried again. "Darling, you know he would've been here if… I'm sure something incredibly important came up at work! You know he didn't do it just to hurt you sweetie…" She paused, seeing his hand clench around his fork dangerously.

"Yes, of course." Wilbur snarled. "I mean something _incredibly_ important must've come up, right? Because there's no other reason dad would miss his only sons eighteenth birthday dinner! Or for that matter, he wouldn't miss his only sons seventeenth birthday dinner, or sixteenth birthday dinner unless something _incredibly_ important came up!" He breathed in heavily, trying to contain his fury. His mom didn't deserve it after all. He banged his fists angrily on the table, causing the plate of macaroni, along with all his other favorite foods to sway dangerously close to the edge of the table. Abruptly, he stood up, causing his mom to jump in surprise.

"I'm going to go to my room." Wilbur murmured. "I just… I want to be alone." With that, he turned sharply, and strode through his homes corridors.

Meanwhile at the table, Franny Robinson sat perfectly still, following her sons' sudden exit with pained eyes.

"Oh Cornelius." She whispered softly to herself. "How _could_ you?"

. - . - . - . - . - . - . - . –

Wilbur threw himself on his bed, feeling all to close to breaking down. He took a shuddering breath, and felt tears begin sliding rapidly down his face. Wiping them angrily, he began taking gasping breaths, hoping it would help calm him. The soft knocking on his door caused him to jolt out of his despair and stare at the door hopefully. He would say, "come in," and his dad would enter looking distraught at being late for his sons birthday dinner, and promise to make it up to him if Wilbur would just come downstairs and finish dinner with him and his mother.

It had become tradition many years ago… on the birthdays of Franny, Wilbur, and Cornelius Robinson, the rest of the family would leave the house and go out to eat somewhere in town. The remaining would then have a private dinner, just the three of them, laughing and talking, eating food of the birthday girl/boys choice. It was easily the best three days of the year in Wilbur's opinion, for while he loved his large and eccentric family; he adored getting to spend private time with just his mom and dad. The soft knocking came again, and Wilbur stared longingly at the door.

"Come in." He said softly, voice cracking, hoping against hope… the door opened, and Wilbur rapidly deflated, for there in the door was not his father, but his mother. His began gasping in earnest, trying to choke back tears. Franny sighed, and walked to her sons' bed. Gently, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and pulled him close to her.

"It's okay." She whispered, stroking his hair softly. "It's okay to cry Wilbur… it's okay." And just like that, Wilbur made a whimpering sound and began sobbing desperately, as tears rapidly fell down his face. He continued to sob into his moms shoulder until his eyes felt bloodshot, and his throat felt hoarse from whimpering and gasping so much.

Franny gave her son one last squeeze before pulling away and gazing at him affectionately. "I… I'm sorry he didn't come darling."

"He promised."

Startled, Franny stared at her son in confusion.

"He promised…" Wilbur rasped again, voice shaking. "I asked him… I _begged_ him to be here for this… just one day a year! Why can't he make it one day a year on time!?" Wilbur began to tremble. "You know what he said? He smiled and said he **promised** he'd be here come hell or high water! He LIED! He lied to me!" Wilbur stood up and punched his wall furiously, and gasped in pain when he pulled his trembling hand away and discovered blood. Franny rushed over to examine the wound, and stared at him in sadness.

"Oh darling… How about this… how about I call your grandparents and aunts and uncles back here, and we'll make it a big family dinner! We'll wait on your birthday dinner until tomorrow! Does that sound okay?" Franny smiled weakly at him.

"He won't come."

"Well of course he will darling… I _know_ he wanted to be here… he just…"

"He doesn't love us." Franny pulled back as if she had been slapped.

"I… what?" She whispered, face pale.

"He doesn't love us." Wilbur said emotionlessly. "He _never_ comes to my birthday dinners anymore, I hardly _ever _see him! The only way I can get attention from him anymore is if I destroy one of his damned inventions, and even then he only lectures me! He _never _comes to family dinner anymore, and when he does, he ignores my existence! It's like he hates me!" Wilbur ranted angrily.

"Darling." Franny said weakly.

"I can't even _recall_ the last time I saw you two kiss, or tell each other you loved each other! Hell, I haven't even seen you hug in months!"

"Darling!" Franny said a bit louder, eyes watching her son pace his room.

"He doesn't love us mom! He doesn't give a flying fuck about you _or_ me! He probably wishes I had never been **born**!"

"**WILBUR**!" Franny nearly shrieked. Wilbur sank to his floor tiredly, emotionally drained and hurting. Franny surveyed her son, conflicted. "Wilbur Jameson Robinson! Don't you _ever_ say your father doesn't love us, or wishes you were never born! I will **not** have it!" Now, Franny Robinson rarely raised her voice or got angry… but when she did, God help the poor soul who caused this anger. In this case, Wilbur Robinson curled into himself to shield himself from the shouting.

When it seemed her tyrant had ended, he warily looked up to see her gazing at him contemplatively. "Wilbur," she said gently. "I think we need to talk about some things." Wilbur stared at her curiously. "I… your father and I weren't planning on telling you anytime soon… and we certainly wanted both of us to be here when we did… But circumstances being what they are, I think it'll be okay if we talk, just you and me. Okay?" Wilbur simply nodded. Franny sat on the floor next to him.

"Your father and I…" She paused. "Your father and I were never in love." At this, Wilbur's head jerked to observe his mother in horror. She took in his horror, and forced herself onward. "We weren't planning on getting married, or living together or…"

"I was a mistake?" Wilbur asked, voice cracking in anguish. "_Neither_ of you wanted me!?"

"NO!" Franny shouted in panic. "No Wilbur! Don't misunderstand me! Your father and I weren't in love because… I was in love with someone else. Jamie. Your biological father."

Wilbur's eyes widened dramatically, and began trembling fiercely. Standing up shakily, he ran to the bathroom, and threw up all the innocent macaroni he had brutally stabbed not an hour before. Once he finished heaving, he turned to see his mother in the doorway looking unsure.

"What…" Wilbur licked his lips. "What do you mean my _biological_ father?" Franny bit her lip.

"You know what? I think you need to see for yourself in order to understand."

. - . - . - . - . - . - . - . –

" You _can't_ be serious." Wilbur asked incredulously. Him and his mother stood in the garage, the shiny redness of the time machine reflecting his baffled reflection. His mother nodded excitedly.

"I am perfectly serious Wilbur! You want to know more about your real father, and I want you to understand just how much your dad loves you! Cornelius, that is- not Jamie. Jamie maybe your biological father, but Cornelius has made so many sacrifices because of how he loves us… I just think you need to see for yourself. So, go pack all your clothes and belongings you can't do without, and I want you to go watch…"

"How long are you expecting me to be gone!?" Wilbur asked in confusion at her suggestion of packing. Franny let out a puff of breath, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I believe a year should do it… yes! A year should do nicely." Franny mused aloud, a fond smile passing her lips. Of course, to me it will only seem like hours opposed to you living through a year…" 

"A YEAR?" Wilbur bellowed, horror on his face. "I can't live in the past for a year! I'll mess something up in the space-time continuum! I won't be born! I… I!"

"Trust me Wilbur… This was supposed to happen. I didn't realize at the time that I would be the one encouraging you to go… but nevertheless, you need to do this. In fact, you may mess up the continuum if you _don't_ go."

"Mom?" She smiled fondly at him.

"Darling… just trust me. You are supposed to be there. You'll know the right time to come home." She bit her lip. "There's something else… Lewis won't remember you." At the name of his young best friend-who-would-one-day-become-his-father, Wilbur perked up, a bewildered smile on his face.

"He… he's still Lewis? Will I… can we… wait, he won't remember me?" Franny shook her head, smiling sadly.

"Goob never dropped the ball, so he never grew up to be bitter and steal our time machine, which means you never really met Lewis."

"But if that's the case, why do _I_ remember him? Why can both of us remember his visit?" Wilbur asked, perplexed.

"Love is stronger then even the space-time continuum darling." She smiled at him. "We remember him because we loved him so much… and while he loved us as well, he was young, and probably forgot about us the instant Goob caught the ball."

Wilbur slumped in defeat. "But… he's still Lewis?"

Franny smiled, nodding encouragingly. "In fact… I believe he'll be your age, if not a couple months older when you go back… I believe he changed his name to Cornelius shortly after you'll leave? I still don't know what prompted the change. But enough of that. Go pack quickly darling!"

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Well," Wilbur scratched his neck. "I guess… this is goodbye?" Franny smiled encouragingly at him. "I'll miss you mom."

"Oh you! Don't be so silly! You'll still have me… just younger, and better looking." She winked. "One last thing." He paused as his mom passed him a thick envelope, and he held it in confusion. "That should be enough money to last you the year…"

He smiled weakly and climbed into the time machine. Waving one last time, he pressed the "Ignite Engine" button.

As he flew out of the garage, he could distantly hear his mom shout after him.

"If you come upon any frogs, make sure you give them to past-me!"

Wilbur smiled fondly, and punched in his the year he was going back to. With a flash of blue, the sky changed dramatically.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Wilbur sighed in frustration, his bag still slung over his shoulder, the envelope of money tucked safely inside of it. After parking the time machine in a forest just outside of town, he began his long walk back to the city. He had been walking for over three hours, and still had yet to find a hotel, or anywhere suitable to stay. Why couldn't his mom have just _answered_ his questions, rather then sending him on a yearlong Easter-egg hunt? To make things worse, the sky was slowly darkening until near black, and Wilbur knew a huge thunderstorm was coming.

'That's okay.' Wilbur thought determinedly. 'I'll just find shelter before the storm even-' before he had any time to finish his thoughts, the rain broke through the clouds, and began drenching the black-haired eighteen year old. He growled, and began running toward a nearby grocery store. Once inside, he shivered at the warmth the heaters emitted. He was wet, cold, hungry, and he had no idea where to go. Collapsing near the entrance, he watched through the doors as the rain continued pouring. His gaze caught on one of the grocery store workers.

"Excuse me sir! Sir!" Wilbur called after him, standing up and rushing over. The worker looked to be an irritated teenage boy, so Wilbur decided to speak quickly. "Um… do you know how long it's supposed to rain for?" The teen snorted.

"Yah. It's supposed to be rainin' for the next few days straight. Bummer, yah?" The teen smirked at him, before walking away again, only to be stopped by Wilbur again.

"Wait! I need to find a hotel!"

"And is that my problem?" The teen snickered and turned his back again, ignoring Wilber's cries for him to stop.

"But I don't know where any are, and it's raining, and I-"

"Excuse me young man," interrupted a cheerful voice. "Did I hear you say you're looking for a hotel?" Wilbur turned around to reply, when his voice froze in his chest. Standing right in front of him was his Grandma Lucille.

"Erm… I… um, yes. Yes I am." He stammered. Her eyes brightened.

"Well isn't that just wonderful! How long are you staying for?" Lucille chirped, a wide smile on her face.

"Uh… I don't know for sure. A year maybe-"

"A year! My dear boy, you can't possibly stay in a hotel for a year! The fees would be astronomical!" Lucille admonished him.

"Oh well… I… I have plenty of money. I suppose I'll just be staying in a hotel until I can find an apartment…" Wilbur trailed off. Why hadn't he thought about that?

"Oh pish-posh! I won't allow it! What's your name kiddo?"

Wilbur cleared his throat. "Wilbur. My name is uh… Wilbur."

"Well Wilbur, it's very nice to meet you! My name is Lucille Robinson, and I would be delighted if you would like to stay at my families home until you find a suitable apartment!" Lucille offered brightly.

Wilbur felt his heart leap in his chest. He felt a wave of affection overcome him for his grandma, and the woman she was, and would stay.

"I… that'd be wonderful." Wilbur replied, smiling softly. "But uh… are you certain that would be alright? I don't want to impose or…"

"Please, I insist! There's always room at the Robinson home! Right now the house feels so empty… My husband and I have a son, and his friends are always over, but it's nice to have a full house! So, what'da ya say kiddo?"

Wilbur allowed a grin to cross his face. "I'd love to."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Bud?! BUD!" Lucille shouted loudly upon entering the house. Wilbur took the opportunity to look around in amazement. This was his home… It looked so different from how it would in nineteen years.

"Lucille! I am in the middle of a VERY important mission! I can't find my red-checkered pants, and it's driving me bonkers! What could possibly more important than my…" Bud walked into the room, looking much younger then Wilbur had ever seen him. He was grinning, until he caught sight of Wilbur. His expression changed to curiosity.

"Pants." Bud finished, observing the boy. "And who are you young man? One of Cornelius's friends?" Wilbur shook his head wildly. Cornelius's friends? But his mom had said that he was still Lewis!

"I'm Wilbur." He announced, sticking his hand out with a wide grin on his face. Immediately Bud was smiling again.

"Why hello Wilbur! Would ya like to help me find my pants?" Bud asked excitedly.

"None of that Bud!" Lucille warned. "The poor boy is drenched and freezing. He's going to be staying with us for a while, so let's make him feel welcome shall we? Go make some soup, alright dear?" Bud flashed her a charming grin, and leaned over to pull her into his arms and kiss her sweetly. Wilbur felt a pang of longing for the affection the couple showed each other. His grin faded to a weak smile.

"Of course darling. How about you get Wilbur settled in, I'll make dinner, and then Cornelius should be home by the time it's ready." Wilbur sucked in a sharp breath. Silently, he prayed that it was indeed still Lewis. Bud seemed to take his jumpiness as curiosity, for he explained happily. "Cornelius is our son! He's a very sweet boy- I think it'd be impossible not to like him!"

"Bud, let the boy alone. We'll just introduce the two when Cornelius gets back. Where is that boy anyway?" Lucille interrupted.

"I think he said something about showing Franny his new invention." Bud replied scratching his head. Again, he turned to Wilbur. "Franny is one of Cornelius's best friends, see." Wilbur nodded to show his understanding.

"Anyway, let's get you settled in sweetie!"

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Wilbur felt as if he was in a daze. Had his mother known that the Robinsons would take him in? Had she known he would be put in close quarters with her one-day husband? He had already unpacked, and was now staring out the window as the rain cascaded down his window. A soft knocking at the door interrupted his musings.

"Wilbur? Dinner is ready! You hungry?" Lucille called from the other side of the door. Wilbur smiled, and walked over to the door, opening it.

"Yeah, I'm quite hungry actually." Wilbur smiled charmingly. Lucille grinned back.

"Excellent! Let's go to the dining room then, shall we?" Wilbur nodded, and followed Lucille to the dining room, where a delicious looking soup had been divided into four bowls. They all sat down, and Wilbur smiled at the closeness of his grandparents little family. Lucille glanced at the clock.

"Cornelius has two minutes to get here before he forfeits his rights to choose our family night activity, thereby forcing us to have another pie throwing contest with him as the target!" Lucille grinned wickedly.

"Lucille, we're all out of pies- we used them in the great pie famine of last week." Bud pointed out. "We'll just have to use pudding balloons." He decided thoughtfully.

"But the pudding balloons always pop the minute we throw them!" Franny argued. Bud sighed thoughtfully, before brightening up immensely.

"We could always use the Chinese leftovers from last month to throw at him!" Bud suggested excitedly

"Don't even _think_ about it!" A new voice from the doorway said playfully.

"Oh fiddlesticks Cornelius. Thirty more seconds, and we could've done target practice for family night!" Lucille pouted. Wilbur couldn't bring himself to turn around, but settled for listening to the young tenor voice that came from behind him. He didn't have to wait long to see his former best friend though, for the boy crossed behind him, and walked to his seat and sat.

"Which is precisely why I'm on time! I still haven't healed from our family night where you decided we should make our own chocolate insects." Lewis/Cornelius pointed out, shuddering.

"You can't dog something till you try it!" Replied Bud grinning. Lucille smiled at her boys.

"Cornelius, this is Wilbur. He's going to be staying with us for a while!" Lucille introduced the two.

Lewis rolled his eyes at his mom, before turning to spare a brilliant smile at Wilbur. "Hey! It's nice to meet you. Not to confuse you, but I prefer to go by Lewis." He stated, jerking his thumb in the direction of his parents. "They think I look more like a Cornelius, so that's what all the documents and such say, but I really prefer Lewis." Wilbur nodded, feeling the sickness in his stomach gradually disappear.

'_So it _is_ still Lewis.'_ He thought, breath catching in his throat.

"I… I'm Wilbur." He stuttered. He was suddenly reminded of that day of Lewis's science fair, when he had stood frozen for the longest time, eyes trailing Lewis. He was all too caught off guard by this sweeter, younger version of his father. His best friend (even if Lewis didn't remember him) had hardly changed at all. The boy was still shorter and slightly smaller then Wilbur, even though he had grown a few inches. His blond spiky hair still seemed to defy gravity, despite the fact that he had just come in from the pouring rain, and water was still clinging to him. What affected Wilbur the most though, were Lewis's eyes. Impossibly beautiful sky blue, still innocent and sweet, unlike his fathers which held only bitterness and sorrow. For reasons unknown to him, it caused Wilbur's breath to cease, as if afraid of erasing his friend by moving or breathing.

Lewis was still staring at him in slight confusion. "Do I… have we met before?" The blond asked the black haired boy.

"I… I don't think so." Wilbur replied, forcing an easy grin on his handsome features. Lewis nodded blankly.

"Alright."

Dinner went on, and once again, Wilbur's tale of needing a place to stay was told for Lewis's benefit.

"So, where'd you move from?" Lewis questioned curiously in between bites of soup.

"Oh… um… North Montana… I mean, Canada." Wilbur corrected himself quickly, remembering that at this time, Canada was still its own country. Lewis was staring at him oddly.

"So… why did you come here?" The blond asked curiously.

"I… uh… it was a family decision." Wilbur answered honestly. Lewis nodded understandingly before grinning at him again.

"Well Wilbur, it looks like things are finally going to get interesting around here." Lewis said, winking at the boy from the future. Having looked away quickly, he never saw the small blush upon Wilbur's cheeks.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

The rain was still pouring after dinner, and after the family sat down for "family game night". Since they were fresh out of pies, they ended up playing card games. Wilbur was slightly surprised, seeing as how such an eccentric family played something as normal as cards. Upon noticing his confusion, Lewis grinned and explained.

"Family game night really isn't about games at all- it's just one night a week that the family will sit down and relax together, and just talk and hang out. It's nice…" Lewis trailed off, sparing a fond look at his parents.

After a couple hours of card playing, the family decided to call it quits for the night, and go to sleep.

"Cornelius dear, could you please walk Wilbur to his room?" Upon Lewis's amused look, she elaborated. "I just don't want the poor boy getting lost." 

"Alright mom, I'll show him his room." Lewis rolled his eyes, and Wilbur felt a stab of hurt as Lewis's parents walked down the hall and into their bedroom.

"It's okay." Wilbur muttered. "You don't have to show me to my room if you don't want to. I'm sure I can find it." Lewis shot him a surprised look at the hurt tone.

"Oh Wilbur- I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to sound like I didn't want to show you your room- I just… I assumed you would feel babied if I agreed to, and I don't want you to be annoyed by me showing you everything." The blond explained, looking sincerely sorry. Wilbur smiled. This most certainly was the Lewis he remembered. "Hey, are you tired?"

"Huh?" Wilbur asked, caught off guard.

"Are you tired?" Lewis repeated.

"Oh… uh, no. Not particularly."

"Good!" Lewis grinned and grabbed Wilbur's arm, dragging him up the stairs, through the hallways, and all the way to… Lewis's laboratory? "I wanna show you something." Lewis explained, grinning. "This is personally my favorite room in the whole house."

Wilbur smiled at his friends' enthusiasm, as they carefully made their way through all the machines scattered about.

"This is my invention room!" Lewis declared proudly. "I love inventing things, you see, so mom and dad gave me this room as a sort of private haven. It's really cool." The blond smiled sweetly at Wilbur. "But that's not why I brought you up here. I brought you up here, cause this is where I usually am all the time. If it's 3:00 A.M and you can't sleep, I'll probably be here. If you're utterly bored in the afternoon and want to hang out, I'll probably be here! Feel free to come in anytime. I love the company."

"Thanks." Wilbur replied, smiling fondly at the boy, who grinned back. Lewis stared at him thoughtfully, biting his lip, before apparently coming to a decision and nodding.

"There's another really cool thing about this room, but it's a secret." Grabbing his arm again, Lewis dragged the other teen to the center of the room, where a spiral stairwell led up to a small balcony right below the glass window. "Not even my parents know about this, so feel honored." Lewis announced as they mounted the stairs.

Up the stairs they went, onto the balcony, and then Lewis stopped and stared at him solemnly. "What I am about to show you I have never showed anyone. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why I am showing you but… I just feel like somehow I know you… like… I can trust you." Lewis's brilliant blue eyes met Wilbur's deep brown eyes. "Can I trust you Wilbur?" The blond asked softly.

Wilbur nodded, throat to tight to squeak out a reply. Lewis released his arm, but quickly regained his grip on Wilbur by clasping their hands together. Feeling a jolt of electricity run through him, he shivered, and tightened his grip on the other boys' hand. Lewis led Wilbur to a small bookcase, where he pushed on the edge, and it suddenly opened into a hidden door. Ducking below the archway, Lewis pulled Wilbur after him, shutting the bookcase behind them.

The room wasn't incredibly small, but not big enough to be an entire bedroom. Just like the main laboratory, the ceiling of the room was made entirely of glass, but for some reason, it was more breathtaking in the smaller room then in the larger room. It was more intimate as the sound of the rain pounded on the glass, and the moonlight shone through the windows.

"Wow…" Wilbur said softly. "This is beautiful." Lewis smiled in acknowledgement, but kept his gaze focused on outside.

"This is where I come if I'm really upset, or I just want to be alone. More often than not, I'll sleep up here if I don't feel like going all the way back to my room after a late night. But yeah, feel free to come find me if you ever need to talk." Lewis chuckled. "I'm sorry… you probably think I'm a psycho. I just met you, and I'm acting like we're best friends who tell each other everything. I'm really sorry." Lewis repeated softly.

"Don't be." Wilbur replied, grinning at the other. "I feel the same way… for some reason, I just feel connected to you… I don't know why, but it makes me want us to be better friends." _Liar._ A small voice in Wilbur's head accused him. _You __**do**__ know why you're connected to him. He's your __**dad.**__ Maybe not biologically, but he's still your father._ Wilbur shuddered. For some reason, those words felt wrong to him when thinking of Lewis. Somehow…

"Tomorrow I'll introduce you to my two best friends- Franny and Jamie. You'll love 'em! They're great." Lewis announced, interrupting Wilbur's inner musings.

"Alright." Wilbur replied, smiling.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Wilbur! Wakey wakey! Rise and shine!" Wilbur groaned, and burrowed his head further under his pillow. The voice attempting to wake sighed in annoyance. "Alright, fine. You leave me no choice." The voice announced, and Wilbur tried to recall why this felt so familiar… A second later, he was bouncing midair. His eyes shot open to find Lewis leaping on his bed, narrowly avoiding jumping on the sleeping boy.

"Lewis!" Wilbur groaned. "Knock it off."

"Nope!" Lewis replied in a cheerfully. "You need to get up!" At Wilbur's growl of annoyance, Lewis leaned down and playfully smacked his head. "None of that mister. My friends are going to meet us in a hour, so if you wanna shower, GET UP!" Wilbur moaned pitifully.

"Lewis. Dear, dear Lewis. I've known you for less then one day." _Liar._ "Why on earth should I listen to you bossing me around?"

"Cause if you don't I'll make your life miserable!" Lewis replied, grinning widely. "Now get up!" With that, the small blond flounced off the bed and out of the room. Wilbur sighed, irritated as hell, but unable to contain the small smile that crept on his face as he watched the blond walk cheerfully out of his room.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"You don't have to be nervous Wilbur." Lewis told the petrified looking boy that stood next to him.

"I am NOT nervous!" Wilbur cried, insulted. "I'm just… cautious!" Lewis snorted.

"Of what? Are you scared my friends will eat you?" He teased, poking Wilbur gently in the shoulder.

"No! I mean, maybe! Cannibalism maybe illegal, but some people still do it!" Wilbur rambled, aware of the stupidity of his previous statement.

Lewis raised an eyebrow, mouth quirked in a half smile. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that."

Wilbur nodded thankfully. "That'd be a good idea."

The pair was seated in one of the restaurants many booths, waiting for Lewis's friends, who would be arriving soon. They had been mercilessly teasing each other for the past twenty minutes, and Wilbur had never been happier. It was so easy to connect with Lewis, and joke around like they used to.

"Lewis!" An excited females voice cried. "I'm _so_ sorry we're late! Jamie wasn't answering his phone, so I had to go to his house to wake him up, and I just- oh, hello! You must be Wilbur!" The young female had ceased mid-rant to direct her attention to Wilbur. Wilbur nodded, smiling widely at his someday mom.

"Well my name is Franny, and this is Jamie!" She pronounced excitedly. For the first time, Wilbur's gaze traveled to his moms traveling companion… his _father_. Jamie wasn't what he was expecting… he had expected someone almost identical to his dad, blond, small, and blue eyed. Instead, Jamie had black shaggy hair, brown eyes, and was tall and muscular. He had a carefree grin on his face, eyes twinkling with glee. It was then Wilbur noticed that Jamie and his mom were holding hands. He stared open-mouthed, before he realized how rude it must seem.

"Oh… hi. I'm Wilbur." He introduced himself awkwardly, complete with a stiff wave. Jamie merely nodded politely and slid into the booth next to Franny, wrapping a long arm around her.

"Nice to meet you. This will sound weird, but I've always loved the name Wilbur… if I had a son, I think that'd be what I'd name him." Jamie chuckled, pulling Wilbur's mom even closer to him. Franny sighed contentedly and leaned her head on his shoulder. Wilbur stared, fascinated. For so long, he wondered why his parents didn't have an affectionate relationship, and yet here was his mother with another man, completely smitten.

'_I wonder how Lewis feels about this..._' Shifting his gaze, his eyes traveled to Lewis, who was openly grinning at the couple. He was… happy for them. He didn't care Franny wasn't with him? Curious indeed.

Wilbur shook his head, needing to step away from the situation. '_This is so weird… I'm at a table with my eighteen year old parents, and my real dad who is also the former love of my moms life.'_ He shuddered. This was disturbing on_ so_ many levels.

"Wilbur? You okay?" Wilbur's gaze darted to Lewis, whose blue eyes were filled with concern. "You look like you've got some pretty serious thoughts goin' on up there." Lewis teased, gently tapping Wilbur's forehead.

Wilbur laughed. "I'm okay… I just…" His gaze drifted to the other side of the table, where Franny and Jamie were kissing tenderly. Lewis followed his gaze, making a gagging noise.

"You _guys_, I don't mind if you do that in front of me, but you are making my guest feel _incredibly_ awkward! If you want to suck face, please do as the Irish do, and get a room." Franny and Jamie broke apart, both fire engine red.

"The Irish? Lewis, that doesn't make sense." Jamie pointed out, smirking. "Besides, you're just jealous that _you_ don't have anyone to "suck face" with." Winking, he pulled Franny closer to him, who merely giggled.

"Now you leave Lewis alone! I think it's very sweet, and noble that he's waiting for the right person before getting into all the physical stuff." Franny lectured her boyfriend, gently punching him in the arm.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Yada yada ya. Lewis just hasn't found the right girl because he nearly throws up every time he tries to talk to one."

Lewis gave an indignant squawk. "Hey! That is _not_ true! I talk to girls **all **the time! I'm just not interested in anyone right now." He shrugged. "I just don't see the big deal."

Jamie stared at his friend in disbelief. "You get a girlfriend, _then_ give me a call. We'll see what you think then, alright?" Lewis merely snorted, and glanced over at his friend, who was looking _incredibly_ pale.

"Wilbur, are you sure you're alright?" Lewis asked, even more concerned then before.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm okay. Sorry." He stammered, forcing a grin. Something about the thought of Lewis kissing someone just didn't sit well with him… it made no sense.

Lewis shrugged. "Alright then. Let's order!"

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Hey Lewis?" Wilbur whispered softly.

Silence. Then. "Yeah?"

"How come you and Franny aren't a couple?" Lewis sighed, and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. Wilbur and Lewis had retreated to the secret room after a long day of hanging out with Franny and Jamie. It had surprisingly clicked. Wilbur had fit in instantly, and Jamie and Franny had loved him. Through the period of one day, he felt like he had regained his best friend, along with two new ones. It was… wonderful.

"It's complicated." Lewis replied, after a long pause.

"So explain. We've got time."

Lewis chuckled. "Alright… For a long time, I was convinced Franny was the one for me. I was positive one day we'd get married and have kids, a house, everything. I don't know when that idea was planted in my head… I think it was right before I turned thirteen…" Wilbur inhaled sharply. That was when Lewis had visited the future… was it possible he remembered? Even if it was on a smaller scale?

"Go on." Wilbur encouraged, though his throat had tightened.

"When I turned sixteen, Franny and I started dating. After imagining it for so long, I though it would've been so much more amazing… but it wasn't. There was just… no attraction. No sparks, no anything. So, we called it off with no hard feelings. It was around that time I met Jamie… We met randomly at a video store, and decided to hang out. We just clicked as friends. About a year later, I introduced him to Franny, and it was love at first sight!" Lewis snickered.

"Do you ever miss her being yours?" Wilbur asked quietly.

"Nah. She's like… she's like a little sister. I feel more of a parental affection then attraction to her. It'd never work between us. But that's why she has Jamie! They really are the perfect couple…"

"Do you get lonely? I mean, hanging out with them constantly, seeing them in love?"

Silence.

"Yeah." Lewis whispered. "Yeah, I do. I mean, it's not like I'm looking for a relationship, but it'd be nice to find someone who would love me like they love each other. I guess that's partly why I'm so glad I met you- if I have someone else to hang out with me when I'm with them, I can distract the loneliness by talking to you. So… thank you for that." Wilbur smiled.

"No problem Lewis."

"How about you?" 

"Hmmm?"

"Any special people in your life?"

Wilbur laughed. "Not really. I really haven't been too interested in relationships. I think the last time I had a crush on someone… I was thirteen. They were my… they were my best friend, and I had the biggest crush on them. It hurt though, cause I knew it would never work out, no matter how badly I wished things were different."

"Man… that sucks. What happened?" Lewis questioned, curiously, yet sympathetically.

"I… I had to say goodbye to them. Even though I didn't see them after that, I still liked them a lot. I thought about them all the time, till one day I realized… it was pointless. So I forced myself to get over it."

"I'm sorry Wilbur. That must've hurt." Lewis said softly, looking out the window. Wilbur turned to stare at his best friend, studying his profile in the dark.

"You have no idea." Was the whispered reply.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Wilbur dear, can you go tell Cornelius that lunch will be ready in twenty minutes or so?" Lucille asked her tenant, smiling at the teen. Wilbur nodded, and began walking through the halls of the giant house toward Lewis's laboratory, for that was where the blond would undoubtedly be.

As he came closer to the door, he heard a soft sound drifting out from behind the doors of Lewis's private room. Scrunching his eyebrows, Wilbur took a step closer, and confirmed that he was in fact hearing music from Lewis's room. Quietly, he slowly opened the door and slipped in. What he saw shocked him beyond words.

Lewis sat in the center of the room, playing softly on the guitar, eyes closed, a small smile on his face. He obviously hadn't heard Wilbur enter, for he continued to play the beautiful melody. A second later, he began singing.

"_And I'm drying out_

_Crying out_

_This isn't how I go_

_Hurry now_

_Lay me down_

_And let these waters flow_

_Flow_

_Son I am not everything you thought that I would be_

_But every story I have told is part of me…_"

Wilbur stood perfectly still, eyes wide and unbelieving. His dad… Lewis played guitar? Lewis _sang_? Why had he never known this? And Lewis's face while playing… Oh God… He was beautiful, and serene, and just… Lewis.

Wilbur's breath hitched, and the small sound broke the spell of serenity. Lewis's eyes shot open, ceasing to play the instrument in his lap. At the sight of Wilbur standing open-mouthed near the door, Lewis smiled shyly.

"Hey."

"I didn't know you played the guitar." Wilbur blurted, ignoring the greeting. Lewis laughed lightly.

"Yeah, not many people do actually… In fact, I think just you and Franny know. It's just something to do when I need somewhere to put all my surplus emotions, and inventing won't do the trick." Wilbur nodded blankly.

"I didn't know you sang either… you sound amazing." Wilbur said, immediately berating himself for the slip.

Lewis blushed. Wilbur found himself admiring how adorable it made the blond appear. "Yeah, well thanks. I don't personally think so, but thanks."

"Can I ask what song you were singing?" Wilbur asked curiously.

"It's called "How I go" by Yellowcard. It's a really gorgeous song." Lewis informed the raven-haired teen.

"Oh." An awkward silence fell between the two boys, thick with some unknown tension. Over what, neither knew. "Um… your mom wanted me to tell you that lunch is in twenty minutes, but now it'd be more like fifteen."

Lewis nodded.

"Alright. Thanks."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Lewis come on!" Jamie pleaded. 

"Yeah Lewis! Pleasssseeee? It'll be so much fun!" Fanny chimed in.

Lewis merely scowled, and crossed his arms over his chest. "No you guys! I don't dance, and I really don't feel like watching you two grind against each other all night!" At this, Wilbur snickered. Lewis turned his glare to the taller raven-haired teen. "And _you!_ You just **had** to suggest going clubbing, didn't you? Now Jamie and Fanny are never going to let up!"

Wilbur raised his hands as if surrendering. "Hey hey hey, I wouldn't have suggested it if you hadn't said you wanted to do something different for a change! Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Come on Lewis!" Lewis glared harder at Wilbur, and Wilbur had a hard time not laughing, because Lewis just looked so… so…

"Fine." Lewis relented. "But I'm **not** dancing."

_Cute._

Wilbur's grin faltered at the thought, suppressing the urge to whack his head hard enough to kill the brain cells daring enough to think something like that. It had been two months since Wilbur had time traveled, and he was regretting that he ever had to go back. It was odd… Teenage Franny wasn't incredibly different from older Franny… yet she was. She didn't fake happiness like his mom did. This Franny seemed so thrilled and excited with life. His biological dad, Jamie was also amazing. He was a great guy, and had become one of Wilbur's close friends immediately. It was easy to see where he got his mischievous nature now, for Jamie seemed to be exactly like him, physically and personality wise. As for Lewis… Wilbur's gaze shifted to the blond, still grumbling under his breath, and felt his grin soften into something… tenderer.

"Well get to it kid. We leave in an hour!" Jamie announced, ripping Wilbur out of his thoughts.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

One hour and one very disgruntled Lewis later, the group climbed into Jamie's four-seat convertible and were off. It took fifty minutes to get to the nearest club, so they were in for a long drive.

Jamie had driven Fanny home so she could change quickly, and Wilbur was slightly disturbed by how… teen-ish his mom looked. Franny wore a glittery black spaghetti strap tank top, with a black skirt and leggings. Her black hair was gently curled around her face, giving her a youthful appearance that Wilbur had never seen on his mom.

Jamie was decked out in black pants and black shirt, simple, yet still suave. Wilbur himself had donned a black short sleeve shirt, complete with jeans and his normal wristbands.

Lewis however, was the most surprising one of the group. The blond was wearing a light blue crisp quarter length dress shirt, which was complimented by the casual pair of jeans he had chosen. The shirt seemed to make his eyes glow brighter then Wilbur had ever seen, and his breath seemed to catch every time Lewis turned to look him in the eye. It was getting quite irritating, actually.

The car ride there was fairly silent. Wilbur had taken to staring at Lewis, who in turn was staring out his window. What Wilbur was feeling… it wasn't right. He had to stop this while he still could…

'_But,' _the little voice in his head pointed out. '_Do you really want to?'_

Wilbur sighed, depressed. He would just… have to keep ignoring it, and pray it would go away on its own accord.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Lewis, that's the fifth girl you've turned down to dance with! Now, I know you don't dance, but the next time a girl asks, you **will** say yes!" Franny insisted at a completely out of place Lewis. "Even Wilbur has been dancing!" Wilbur refrained from pointing out that the only girl he had danced with was in fact, Franny herself, and it had been over an hour before.

"Franny, please, I really don't want to." Lewis replied, suddenly incredibly pale. "I _can't _dance!"

"Nonsense Lewis. Of course you can." She admonished.

Lewis turned weakly to Jamie. "Help me out here buddy."

Jamie smiled sympathetically. "Sorry pal- I've been holding her off for the past three hours- it's time to face the music." The fast paced song that had been playing suddenly shifted to a much slower ballad. In the crowd, a lovely redhead was making her way to their table, eyes fixed firmly on Lewis. Wilbur felt himself begin to glare at her. It was surprising how many girls had approached Lewis… He didn't seem like the type to normally get attention from girls… It had to be his eyes. Those damned gorgeous blue eyes that were so innocent and clear… Wilbur clenched his drink tightly in his hand. He too had been approached by numerous girls, but hadn't danced any of them, not wanting to ditch Lewis in the crowded club.

He was so swept up in his musings that he failed to realize that the redhead was now in front of their table, smirking at Lewis.

"Hey," she breathed. "wanna dance?" Lewis opened his mouth to reply, no doubt ready to politely decline, when Franny cut in.

"He would _love_ to. Go on Lewis!" She said smiling mischievously at him. Lewis looked like he felt ill as the girl dragged him on the floor and plastered herself against him. Wilbur turned his glare at the girl and redirected it at Franny. He had never really felt so incredibly annoyed at his mother. Had she _seen_ that girl? Yes, she was gorgeous, but definitely Lewis's type! The redhead was wearing a tight red tank top, accompanied by black leather pants. She most certainly was not what Lewis needed. No… Lewis needed someone funny, and adventurous. Someone to make him ease up when he was being too serious. Lewis needed… someone like him.

Wilbur shivered at the thought, and turned to stare at the couple on the dance floor. Lewis was awkwardly holding the redhead, shifting weight from foot to foot as was required during a slow song. Wilbur watched him with a fond smile, which faded when the red head slowly began moving her face closer to the blonds, no doubt intending to kiss him. Lewis seemed to realize this, for he subtly ducked his head away, blushing madly. The girl looked put off, but also amused.

The slow song ended, and the girl dragged Lewis to the bar, where she took his hand and wrote something on it.

Wilbur clenched his fists tightly as she playfully pulled her close to him, and whispered something in his ear. The blond (who looked thoroughly red) began walking back to their table. Sitting down, the boy groaned.

"Never again Franny." He growled.

Franny merely smiled innocently at her. "Was it really that bad? She seemed nice, and she was certainly pretty enough! Plus, she gave you her number! Do you think you'll call her?"

Lewis shook his head wildly. "Absolutely not. I think she was a little… wild for my tastes."

Franny sighed. "Honestly Lewis, someday you'll find someone who will knock your socks off, and they had better be able to bring you out of your shell somehow!"

Wilbur's gaze remained fixated on his drink.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

They left shortly after redhead girl made her move on Lewis. Jamie, who had been drinking, asked Lewis if him or Wilbur would drive home, before tossing them the keys and collapsing in the back seat, instantly asleep. Franny wasn't much better- she crawled into the seat beside her boyfriend, snuggled against him, and quickly fell asleep.

Lewis watched the pair in amusement, before turning to Wilbur. "So do you wanna drive, or should I?" Wilbur smiled warmly at the boy.

"I would say I would be more than willing to, but I have no idea how to get back to your house." He grinned charmingly. Lewis merely snorted.

"Get in then. You better stay awake and keep me company though!" Lewis ordered. Wilbur laughed lightly.

"You got it kid."

"I am _not_ a kid Wilbur. In fact, I'm two months older then you! So hah!

'_Actually, your more like eighteen years older than me…'_

The sick feeling returned immediately. He smiled weakly at Lewis.

"You're absolutely right."

So, they began driving. Wilbur found a certain question that he was desperate to have Lewis answered… but he didn't want to ask.

"So. That girl." Wilbur began, throat dry. 

Lewis immediately blushed. "That was embarrassing. I knew she wasn't my type, but nooo. I just _had_ to dance with her." He shot an annoyed, yet fond gaze at Fanny through the rearview window. "I know she just wants me to find someone and be happy… but that girl wasn't for me. None of them were."

Wilber was proud when he managed to keep his voice from cracking. "Oh yeah?"

Lewis nodded, biting his lip. "Sometimes I worry I'm never going to find anyone. I just… I'm to weird. The only girls that like me are the kinds that just want to have a shy boy for the night then dump them. Sometimes, I just… I think there's something wrong with me."

"No."

"Huh?" Lewis asked, looking curiously at his friend who was staring at him intently.

"No. There's _nothing_ wrong with you Lewis… You're a great guy. The right person will realize how amazing you are, and it'll just… it'll click. You'll find them eventually." Wilbur said softly, turning to look out the window before Lewis could translate the longing in his eyes.

"Thank you Wilbur… that really does mean a lot to me." Lewis replied in an equally soft voice. Wilbur nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt one of Lewis's hands rest on top of his own and squeeze it sweetly.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"I really can't! I feel horrible about having stayed here for this long, and taking up space. I just wouldn't feel right about staying when I have my own money, and I need to get out of your family's hair." Wilbur explained to the three Robinsons sitting on the coach in front of him.

"Now that is just nonsense Wilbur! We don't want you to leave! You're not a burden, or forcing us into taking care of you- we want you to have a home here!" Was the indignant reply from Lucille Robinson, who was somehow scowling at him with both irritation and fondness.

It had been over two months since Wilbur had come to stay with the Robinsons. Two months since he was reunited with his best friend. Two months since… since certain feelings had started redeveloping for said best friend.

It started out innocently enough… he simply began treasuring the midnight talks the pair would have, or the endless days of the two of them goofing off. Slowly it changed. He began imagining how soft Lewis's hair would be if he would just touch it, or what it would feel like to wrap his arms around Lewis's waist and sweetly kiss his neck. It couldn't be helped. He had a crush on Lewis Robinson, and he needed to get away from it. Granted, he would still see Lewis practically every day, but it would be better then living here, seeing him every moment yet unable to do anything about it.

"Bud, Lucille, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I just don't feel right about living here without paying for rent or-" Right then, Wilbur knew that he had made a grave mistake. Lucille's eyes brightened immediately, and she grinned widely.

"Well if that's all, problem solved! Just start paying us rent, and we'll call it square, okay?" Lucille chirped.

"What? I- no! That's not what I meant! I-" Wilbur was cut off mid argument by Lucille.

"Now you listen here! You've **never** imposed on us, or made us feel burdened! If you must pay rent in order to have a clear conscience, then fine- but you are not leaving this house simply to get an apartment out of guilt. Got it? Good. Dinner is at seven boys! Come on Bud." With that, Wilbur's grandparents stood up and left the room, leaving Lewis staring at him in amusement.

"What?" Wilbur snarled at him.

Lewis's eyes widened, and he held up his hands as if to surrender. "Woah there. What'd I do?"

'_You're making me go crazy, that's what you're doing.'_

"Nothing." Wilbur replied shortly, standing up and walking swiftly to his room. He heard Lewis give a huff before standing up to follow after him.

"Why do you have to be such a jerk? I would think you'd be happy that my parents like you enough to want you to stay! So why are you being a jer-" Lewis paused. "Is it me?"

Wilbur froze. "Sorry?"

"I asked if it was me. Is it me that's making you want to… to leave?"

Wilbur remained silent; not daring to look at Lewis, for fear the boy would be able to read the longing in his eyes, or that he'd see that look of utter betrayal on Lewis's face, just like so long ago when Lewis had found out Wilbur had lied so many years ago…

"Oh… well… alright then. I didn't realize… I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone." Wilbur exhaled sharply at the depressed tone Lewis's voice took on, so different from his normal joyful voice.

"Lewis wait-" Wilbur turned to talk to his friend, hoping he hadn't screwed up to badly. But Lewis was gone. Wilbur sighed and went into his room.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Well… I suppose that Cornelius won't be coming to dinner then." Lucille commented, a look of pure concern crossing her face. "Maybe I should go check on him-"

"Lucille, he has his 'Do not disturb' sign up. You know that when he has it up, it means we are not to enter under any certain terms." Bud reasoned with his wife.

"But it's never up! He's never cared if we come in and watch him work, so why now? Oh, what if he got hurt up there! I'm going to go check!" Lucille stood up and made it to the doorway, when Bud intercepted her.

"Lucille, sit down darling. Cornelius is okay. Whatever's going on, we'll just give him time, okay?" Bud hugged Lucille, and led her back to her chair. Wilbur watched on, his stomach sinking lower and lower with each passing second.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Wilbur slowly slipped into Lewis's laboratory, careful to ignore the "Do not disturb" sign. Walking in, he noticed that Lewis was not anywhere in his lab, his eyes shifted to the spiral staircase, and he slowly made his way towards it. Climbing the stairs, he walked with extra stealth so he wouldn't alert Lewis of his presence… Not yet anyway. Once at the bookcase, he paused, took a deep breath, and pushed on the bookcase frame, to reveal the door behind it.

Closing the bookcase behind him, he froze at the rooms' entrance, immediately finding what he had come for. Lewis was sprawled on top of the air mattress he had brought up months ago, and was staring straight above at the stars.

"Can't you read?" The blonds' flat voice made Wilbur wince.

"Lewis…"

"What?" The pure venom in his voice made Wilbur want to cry desperately.

"I… I'm so sorry."

"What do you _want_ Wilbur?" Lewis demanded as if he hadn't heard Wilbur's apology.

"I want you to listen to me!"

"Well to bad."

"Lewis, please… I just… please? Two minutes, then I'll leave, okay?"

"Fine." Lewis replied, glaring stonily at the ceiling.

Wilbur wished his heart would stop thumping so painfully... "Okay… I know you're pissed off at me, and you have every right to be… but I swear that earlier was a mistake!" Lewis snorted in disbelief. "Lewis… you are my _best friend_. I _love_ living with you…" Wilbur took in a sharp breath. "And therein lies the problem."

Lewis sat up and stared at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"Lewis, I…" Wilbur licked his lips. "I have a confession to make." Wilbur began walking slowly toward the air mattress where Lewis was sitting. When he finally reached the air mattress, he sat down next to the blond and turned to face him. He was certain the blond could see the fear in eyes, and if not, he would certainly notice that Wilbur was trembling fiercely. "Lewis… I…"

Wilbur glanced down weakly.

"Wilbur?" The voice squeaked, and Wilbur looked up into the speakers' eyes… those beautiful fucking blue eyes.

'_What the hell. Actions speak louder than words.' _Wilbur thought with a weak smirk, a pale shadow of his usual self.

Leaning in, he pressed his lips sweetly against Lewis's own. He left their lips pressed together for a few seconds before pulling away to gaze fearfully at Lewis. Beautiful Lewis who was pale, and looked like he was going through hell trying to find the right thing to say.

"Wilbur… I…" Lewis began weakly, but Wilbur was frozen. The realization of what he just did sank in. He kissed Lewis. He kissed his _father_. Maybe he wasn't his father yet, and for that matter, he wasn't his biological father anyway, but oh God. How sick could he be?

'_Wrong… this is so __**wrong.**_'

Wilbur stood up hastily, complexion taking on a chalky white. 

"I… I'm sorry." He whispered to the small blond, who looked about ready to cry, before shoving his way out of the room, running down the stairs, and running to his room. Once there, he collapsed on the bed, tears streaming down his face.

'_I'm so sorry…'_

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Lewis didn't come out of his room for the next week, much to the dismay of his panicked parents, who had never experienced such behavior with their brilliant son. Wilbur felt his insides being torn apart by guilt. What had he done? He had hurt Lewis… his best friend. Two days after the kiss, Wilbur found himself standing in front of Lewis's door, hand poised and ready to knock, yet unable to bring himself to do so. After an hour of standing there, he finally gave up, and went back to his room to release his frustrations by punching his pillow.

Bud and Lucille tried everything to coax Lewis out of his room. From banging on the door near tears, to threatening grounding forever, nothing worked. They respected him too much to try and force their way in when he was obviously going through something. Wilbur didn't share this view, and found himself standing in front of Lewis's door two nights later. Taking a deep breath, he groped for the doorknob, and once found, turned and pushed. Well, tried to. Lewis had installed some sort of lock on his door during the past few days. Since he had a bathroom in his room, he never seemed to leave to shower or use the facilities.

As for food, Wilbur didn't know what he was doing. The dishes of food Lucille and Bud left in front of his door were always cold and stale by the next morning, untouched… which meant he had to be sneaking down to the kitchen at night for food, right? And, as much as he wanted to, Wilbur couldn't bring himself to try and catch the blond. He was a coward, unable to face the boy who meant the world to him. Pleas from his parents were ignored; worried phone calls from Franny or Jamie were left unanswered…

Wilbur sighed. It had been a week exactly since the kiss, and Wilbur found himself in front of Lewis's door for what seemed like the thousandth time. Since that night, he had been unable to get any sleep, and he looked like hell. Dark circles had developed under his eyes, and his hair tousled so it was almost unrecognizable. It was time to talk about this. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door. Waiting a few minutes, he began talking.

"Hey Lewis… um… I don't know if you're listening but… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you… it was a mistake-"

'_Liar.'_

"I don't know what came over me. And it'll never happen again."

'_Coward.'_

"I miss my best friend. Please… please can you just pretend this never happened? I don't want you hurting. I know I don't deserve it, but please forgive me?"

'_Idiot.'_

"I'm so sorry."

'_I love you…'_

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

The next morning, Wilbur woke from an uneasy sleep to the smell of pancakes. Showering and dressing quickly, he made his way to the kitchen.

"Ah Wilbur! Just in time for breakfast!" Lucille greeted cheerfully. "Look who finally came out of his room!" Wilbur's head shot up to the table to see Lewis sitting at the table, staring at his pancakes.

"You had us all worried kiddo!" Bud told the blond, reaching his hand over to ruffle Lewis's hair.

"Sorry." Lewis murmured. "I made a breakthrough on an invention I've been working on for a long time, and I just needed solitude." Wilbur saw right through the lie, but Bud and Lucille simply chuckled.

"That's our Cornelius. Always working hard!" Bud declared, snagging the bottle of syrup.

Wilbur was staring at Lewis intently, so when the blond met his gaze for a split second before lowering it again, Wilbur's heart seemed to explode in his chest. Conversation kept going, but Wilbur was still unable to take his mind off the look of sheer pain in Lewis's eyes when their gazes had met.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Lewis!" Wilbur cried, racing after the blond after breakfast. "Lewis WAIT!" The boy stopped, turning around to face the raven-haired boy, face mercifully blank,

"Hey Wilbur. What's up?" Lewis replied coolly.

"I… uh… I'm glad you're out of your room." Wilbur blurted, immediately flushing red. "I mean um… are we okay?"

"What do you mean Wilbur?" Lewis inquired, voice tone still ice cold.

"I mean… um… the kiss. Are you mad at me?" Lewis snorted.

"If you really think that you kissing me had any effect on me, you need a serious ego check." Lewis stated calmly, leaving Wilbur to stare at him open-mouthed.

"I… I uh… I don't understand." Wilbur finally managed to mutter.

Lewis gave a patronizing sigh. "Alright, well then let me make this clear to you. The kiss meant nothing to me. I don't like you or have feelings for you, and I haven't been pining over you, okay? I was in my room for a week because I was _inventing_, not moping over some egotistical jerk." Wilbur reeled back as if slapped; face pale, close to crying.

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to get back to work." With that, Lewis strolled calmly to his room, leaving Wilbur staring after him, heart horribly mangled.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Another week passed. While Lewis freely wondered about the house again, he also completely ignored Wilbur. At dinner, it was as if Wilbur was invisible the way Lewis perfected talking to his parents while completely excluding Wilbur. Yet somehow, Lucille and Bud remained completely oblivious. Perhaps they were simply relieved that Lewis wasn't holed up in his room anymore.

Yes, Lewis Robinson seemed perfectly fine without Wilbur in his life. Wilbur however was completely miserable. He didn't know how his mom expected him to stick around through this… but of course, she couldn't of known the relationship they had. She would just have to realize that he couldn't have stayed longer… even if she wanted him to stay for the year. So, he packed his bags one morning when Bud and Lucille were out grocery shopping, and got ready to leave. All that remained of him was the note he left on his bed in the room he had been staying. It simply said:

"_Thank you for your generosity in letting me live here._

I could not have found a more welcoming, sweet family, but I really do think I've overstayed my welcome.

_Thank you so much,_

_Wilbur Peterson_

Sighing sadly, he placed the note on his bed. He had chosen to use a fake last name quite a long time ago out of common sense, and now he signed it for a final time. Slowly, he made his way out of the house, bag dangling on his shoulder. One he was a fair distance away, he stopped and turned to stare back at the house. His eyes were glued to Lewis's laboratory. As he stared through the window, he swore he saw a shadow flicker across the window, but he couldn't be sure.

Shaking his head, he began his long walk. As it turned out, the Robinsons house was only two miles or so from his hiding place for the time machine, which was rather convenient for his purposes. A mile into his walk, it started pouring rain. Wilbur simply continued walking slowly, allowing the rain to caress his face.

"WILBUR!" Came the yell from behind him Wilbur turned surprised, to see a drenched Lewis running towards him. Wilbur froze, as Lewis came closer, and closer and…

"What is this?" Lewis demanded, waving Wilbur's letter in the air. He looked so… beautiful. He was angry, and trembling, and the rain was just rolling off of him…

"It's a goodbye letter." Wilbur replied, unable to continue looking at Lewis.

"I know that idiot, what I want to know, is why you're saying goodbye! Why are you leaving? After all my parents have done for you, you're just walking out without even having the decency to tell us you were leaving face to face!" The blond demanded. Wilbur's gaze immediately flew to Lewis.

"Why do _you_ care Lewis? You don't feel _anything_ for me, remember?" Wilbur spat, two weeks of emotions boiling over.

Lewis glared. "You're a coward."

Wilbur did a double take. "_Excuse_ me?"

"You heard me! You're a COWARD!"

"And what gives you any right to decide that I'm a coward Lewis?" Wilbur growled.

"You can't just kiss me, then run away and say it was a mistake! Do I not get any say in it? You didn't even wait to see how I felt before running away! You're a coward!" Lewis yelled at the raven-haired boy, taking a heated step forward.

"Why does it matter? Even if I _had_ stayed, you would've rejected me! You've made it perfectly clear that you don't like me like that!" Wilbur shouted back, taking a step forward so he was in Lewis's face.

"I ONLY SAID THAT BECAUSE I WANTED TO HURT YOU HOW YOU HURT ME! YOU ARE _SUCH_ AN IDIOT!" Lewis shrieked, before grabbing a handful of Wilbur's t-shirt on both sides, and yanked him forward into passionate kiss.

For a split second, Wilbur remained perfectly frozen. This couldn't… this wasn't real. But Lewis's lips were warm, and he was pressed up against Wilbur and…Wilbur moaned into the kiss, pulling Lewis closer. Unlike their first kiss, this kiss was filled with passion, and heated emotions, which had been kept tightly sealed for quite some time.

A bolt of lightning and the loud crash of thunder caused them to bolt apart, and survey each other cautiously.

After several minutes, Lewis outstretched his hand to Wilbur.

"Let's go home." He said quietly, eyes fixated on Wilbur.

Wilbur stood frozen for a split second. He knew Lewis ended up with Franny. So did he take the hand and just enjoy the time they had together, or did he spare the blond and himself the pain of splitting? Lewis opened his mouth to decline, but the words died on his tongue. Lewis was looking at him with fear, and uncertainty, and… love? They were both in to deep now. Even if he ended it, Lewis would be just as hurt as if they actually had a relationship and had to end it.

Smiling timidly at Lewis, Wilbur placed his own hand in the blonds, and tightened his grasp. There was no turning back.

Slowly, the pair of teens began trudging through the mud and rain back to the Robinson house.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Once back at the house, they separated briefly to change clothes so as not to become ill. After they did this, they walked slowly, hand in hand to Lewis's laboratory, into the hidden room.

"I'm kinda tired." Lewis said timidly, sparing a nervous glance at the other teen.

"Oh… okay. Do you want me to uh… leave?" Wilbur asked, still clutching the older boys hand.

"No." Lewis blurted, before blushing. "No… I'd rather you stay and um…" He trailed off, flushing a vibrant red. Wilbur smirked knowingly.

"Already trying to get me in bed, eh?" He teased. Lewis made a small squeaking noise.

"What!? No! I just… NO!" Lewis panicked. Pulling the boy closer with a smile on his face, Wilbur silenced him with a kiss. After they broke away, Wilbur gently pulled the blond over to the mattress covered in blankets, and gently tugged him down on the bed.

"I'm kind of tired too." Wilbur said quietly, eyes watching Lewis intently. Lewis smiled, relieved. Wilbur lay down, and then patted the bed beside him to Lewis, who was still sitting up. Smiling, the blond curled into Wilbur, sighing contentedly when Wilbur placed a soft, sweet kiss on his lips.

"I like this." The blond murmured sleepily, before drifting off. Wilbur smiled softly, happy to watch the rise and fall of Lewis's chest.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Just a few more steps!"

"Lewis, come on! Just tell me where to go instead of having this horrible blindfold!" Wilbur complained, the itchy fabric rubbing against his face uncomfortably. Lifting his hand, he went to scratch, when Lewis smacked his hand away.

"Stop that! Besides, do you or do you not want your surprise?" Lewis admonished, still guiding the boy up the stairs.

"Lewis, I'm all for surprises. I love surprises! But this blindfold is _itchy_!" Wilbur complained, pouting. He gave a soft gasp when he felt lips press against his own in a sweet kiss.

"Stop complaining." Lewis ordered as he began pulling him again. The pair had been a couple for almost two weeks now, and it was amazing. Of course, no one but them knew, but still. It was becoming increasingly hard not getting caught. With their secret smiles at each other over the dinner table, and Wilbur staying in the secret room with Lewis to sleep, the boys were hardly ever apart. His parents were loony, but they weren't stupid. They couldn't keep their relationship a secret for much longer…

Wilbur knew that they wouldn't last but… he didn't want to lose this newfound happiness that he had found in a boy with beautiful blond hair and blue eyes. Lewis. The same blond haired blue eyed same boy who was currently dragging him around with a blindfold. Wilbur smiled to himself. Lewis was just… amazing. Even after two weeks, he still blushed when Wilbur would kiss him any longer then a few seconds, and Wilbur would always grin and tease him.

"Alright. Here we go!" Lewis announced cheerfully, ripping off the blindfold. Wilbur glanced around and felt his jaw drop.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." Wilbur rolled his eyes in annoyance. Lewis simply grinned at Wilbur. "You dragged me around the house for twenty minutes, just to bring me back to the room we started in, where _nothing _has changed?" Wilbur demanded, gesturing wildly at the laboratory.

Lewis shrugged. "I could've just given you your surprise without the blindfold, but that wouldn't have been as fun as this was!"

Wilbur smiled innocently. "So… there really is a surprise?"

Lewis laughed lightly. "Sit down you goof." So Wilbur sat in a chair, and watched curiously as Lewis tugged out his guitar and nervously strummed a chord, clearing his throat while darting glances over at the raven haired boy, who was observing him with amusement. Without a word, he began to play a song.

"_Let it go,  
Let it roll right off your shoulder  
Don't you know  
The hardest part is over  
Let it in,  
Let your clarity define you  
In the end  
We will only just remember how it feels_

Our lives are made  
In these small hours  
These little wonders,  
These twists & turns of fate  
Time falls away,  
But these small hours,  
These small hours still remain

Let it slide,  
Let your troubles fall behind you  
Let it shine  
Until you feel it all around you  
And I don't mind  
If it's me you need to turn to  
We'll get by,  
It's the heart that really matters in the end

Our lives are made  
In these small hours  
These little wonders,  
These twists & turns of fate  
Time falls away,  
But these small hours,  
These small hours still remain…"

Lewis strummed the last chord, not daring to look up at the awe-struck Wilbur.

'That's the song dad used to sing me to sleep with…' The revelation somehow seemed startlingly important. 

"Lewis… that was… that was beautiful." Wilbur managed to say. "Who's it by?"

Lewis blushed brightly and mumbled something.

"Sorry?"

"I said I wrote it." He said louder, though still barely audible.

"Wow Lewis! That's amazing! I loved it, it was-"

"I wrote it for you." Lewis interrupted.

"…What?" Wilbur asked dumbly, feeling shock spread through him.

"I just wanted you to know what you… what you mean to me." Lewis broke of embarrassed. Wilbur stared at the blond in shock as he gently set his guitar down, and fiddled with his hands. "Are… what do you think?" Wilbur stood up, never breaking eye contact with Lewis as he walked over until he was kneeling in front of the young inventor. Once face-to-face, he gently lifted Lewis's chin until he was looking at Wilbur. He then kissed Lewis deeper and more passionate then he ever had before, all the while silently praying.

'_Please let me keep him. Somehow… just let me hold onto us longer. Let me love him…'_

Pulling away, Wilbur leaned his forehead against Lewis's.

"I love you." The raven-haired boy murmured tenderly. Lewis's eyes widened to the size of golf balls.

"You… ah… huh?" He asked incoherently.

Wilbur laughed, and flicked Lewis's nose. "You're so cute when you're confused. I love you Lewis. You're amazing."

Lewis blushed brightly, before smiling shyly. "I… I think I love you too."

Wilbur grinned. Things had never been better.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Tell me about your family."

"Huh?"

"Your family." Lewis propped himself up and stared at Wilbur questioningly. "You never talk about them. You know almost everything about me… but I only know the bare minimum about you. So… tell me about your family." Lewis asked curiously.

Wilbur smiled faintly. "Well uh… my mom is pretty much the craziest woman you'll ever meet, but that's why I love her. She's wonderful. She's the only one in my family I'm incredibly close to…" Wilbur swallowed hard. "My dad uh… my dad isn't around much. Sometimes I think he hates looking at me because… it reminds him of everything he's given up." Lewis frowned at this, and grasped Wilbur's hand tightly. "I really don't know him that well… he's always on business trips, and when he is home he never talks to me." Unknowingly, Wilbur tightened his grip on Lewis's hand.

"Aside from them, I have a ton of relatives that live with us. It'd take forever to describe them all, but they're all amazing in their own way." Wilbur chuckled. Lewis lay back down on Wilbur's chest.

"I'm sorry about your dad." Lewis said quietly. Wilbur tightened his grip on Lewis.

"Lewis… promise me something." Wilbur felt Lewis nod.

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't ever change. That you'll stay Lewis Robinson forever."

"Wilbur?"

"Promise me." Wilbur whispered.

"I promise." Lewis said softly, obviously confused.

Wilbur shivered, even with Lewis's warm body on top of him. Lewis could have no idea that he would change into the disappointing father figure Cornelius, who would miss his sons' birthday three years in a row. Lewis couldn't know that one day he would be emotionally detached from his entire family. He couldn't know that Wilbur would grow to hate him.

But… that was Cornelius. Not Lewis.

As far as Wilbur was concerned, they were completely different people.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Lewis, come _on_! You've been working on this for _hours_! It's time for sleep! Ya know. Sleep. That thing humans do?" Wilbur teased.

Lewis rolled his eyes. "I know Wilbur… I just… I'm so close to finishing this!" Lewis pleaded, adjusting his newest inventions core. Wilbur laughed. It had been seven months since his arrival. Three and a half months since him and Lewis had become a couple. It was wonderful.

"Come on genius boy- saving the world can wait until tomorrow." Lewis sighed, setting down his screwdriver.

"Fine. You win!" Lewis gave in, rolling his eyes. "Let's-" The sound of Lewis's cell phone ringing cut him off. Frowning, he pulled it out; biting his lip, worry shadowing his face. "It's Franny." He whispered. Wilbur suddenly had a horrible gut wrenching desire to tell Lewis to ignore it. Somehow this phone call was going to change things, he just knew it…

"Hello? Franny?" Lewis paled. "Franny please… I… I can't understand you if you're crying. I… what? Where? Yes. I'll be there as soon as possible… He'll be okay Franny." Lewis said weakly. "I'll see you soon." Flipping his phone shut, he grabbed Wilbur's hand and began dragging him.

"Jamie's been in an accident." And just like that, Wilbur felt his heart clench as they ran into the pouring rain to get to a car.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Franny!" Lewis cried, racing down the hospital halls to get to his best friend. "Franny, what's going on?" The dark haired girl looked up, eyes puffy and red, tears streaking her face.

"He's in the operating room right now." She said hoarsely. "It… it doesn't look good they said." She swallowed hard. "He was on his way home from my house… and…" she gasped, tears still flowing steadily. Lewis pulled her into a tight embrace, murmuring into her hair, and for an insane moment, Wilbur felt jealousy clutch his heart. "I told him to call me when he got home like normal and… he never did. It only takes ten minutes for him to get home in bad weather… I was scared. Thirty minutes after he left I got a call to come here…" She sniffled into Lewis's shirt. "He… he was in a drunk driving accident. The other car crashed right into him… the driver wasn't wearing his seatbelt, so he was thrown through the windshield and he snapped his neck, killing him instantly. The car crashed right into Jamie's door. They say it damaged all his major organs, and one of his lungs was punctured with machinery. Even if he makes it through the operation, they don't think he'll make it until morning…" she whispered, shaking desperately.

"Where are his parents?" Lewis asked, and Wilbur could hear the strain for normalcy, though he could tell by Lewis's posture that he was close to breaking down.

"They're out of town, but are on their way home… still, it'll take them at least three hours to get back. I just hope they get back before…" She cut off abruptly, looking distinctly ill. Lewis gently guided her to a nearby chair, sitting next to her as she continued to cling to him. Wilbur placed himself by Lewis, subtly taking his freehand and squeezing it reassuringly. Lewis sent him a weak attempt a smile, before turning away.

It would be a long night.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Excuse me? Are you relations of Jamison Black?" A kind nurse approached the group solemnly.

"No." Lewis replied, sparing a scared look with Wilbur.

"Are any relations of Jamison here?"

"No." Lewis replied again softly.

"Very well… will you three follow me? The doctor needs to speak with you since no family is here for the boy." Shakily, the three stood up, following the woman in white until into a nearby room. Franny immediately gasped, and Lewis sucked in a breath, for there was Jamie, barely recognizable, but it was him.

"Are you three with Jamison Black?" The doctor questioned politely, a veil of sadness in his eyes. Lewis wrapped his arm around Franny, and nodded. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that the operation was not a success…" Franny choked. "There was simply to much damage to repair… his lung was punctured badly enough that it will start flooding with blood shortly, and that will stop his heart. If we had a donor, it might be different but… as it is, he won't make it until morning." The doctor paused. "I'm so sorry."

"NO! JAMIE! Jamie! Oh God, Jamie please don't leave me… please don't… don't leave me…" Franny screamed, before collapsing on the floor, sobbing wildly. Lewis had tears streaming down his face as well, and had wrapped his arm around Franny.

Wilbur felt strangely detached from it all as he stared at the man who he would've called dad if he had lived. Anger suddenly boiled inside of him.

'_If you had just stayed alive things would be different! Mom would be happy! Lewis and I could be together forever! Damn you, why did you have to die!?' _He thought, glaring at the body on the table, even as tears filled his eyes.

But wait… if he would die… then that meant that Franny was already… Wilbur lowered his gaze to Franny on the floor, her stomach tiny and flat. He suddenly felt sick at the unfairness at it all.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

The funeral was lovely. The sun was shining, and the stifling heat made it nearly unbearable for everyone wearing black. Wilbur sat in the front row next to Lewis. Right beside Lewis was Franny, hugging him tightly, and Jamie's parents, seemingly shocked. Wilbur felt incredibly guilty that he couldn't bring himself to cry for Jamie, rather, he cried because of what it meant for him. What it meant he would lose.

He felt numb as they said goodbye to all the guests, and offered condolences to his parents. They had lost their only son… Wilbur felt a pang of pain for the devastated couple. He turned to stare at Lewis. His eyes were unusually dull, face pale and seemingly dead. Franny looked much the same way.

"Franny, you're welcome to spend the night at my house tonight. My parents won't mind." Lewis offered, him and Wilbur having stayed the past few nights with Franny.

Franny continued staring downward. "I… I think I need to be alone Lewis. But thank you. I love you…" She whispered, hugging him tightly before turning to Wilbur. "Thank you for being here the past few days. I don't think Lewis or I could've gotten by without you." Wilbur nodded weakly, hugging her tightly. When she pulled away, he found himself staring at her stomach. She didn't notice though, for she turned to walk away.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

A month passed. Lewis had seemingly withdrawn into himself. During days he would simply do what was needed to live, and Wilbur did his best to get through Lewis's sadness. At nights, the pair curled together on the air mattress, Lewis clinging to Wilbur tightly. Some nights he would begin to cry, burying his face in Wilbur's chest so the other boy wouldn't see the tears. Wilbur desperately wanted to tell the older boy it was okay to cry, just as his mom had, but he knew it would do no good.

One night, as they lay perfectly still staring at the stars, Wilbur felt a tension in the air… as if Lewis wanted to know something. Sure enough, a few moments later Lewis spoke.

"Wilbur… never leave me."

"What?"

"Promise me you'll never leave me. Please. Please promise me." The blond requested, trembling on top of Wilbur.

"As long as I can help it, I will _never_ leave you Lewis. I love you." He whispered. Lewis tightened his grip on Wilbur, before drifting into an uneasy sleep…

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Two more months passed. Lewis was slowly returning to normal. He smiled again, and joked, and _lived… _but there were moments he would suddenly space out, despair etched on his face, and Wilbur would be so_ frightened_ that he was that much closer to losing Lewis… This changed dramatically when a visit from Franny sent them reeling…

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"I'm pregnant." Franny whispered, pale and trembling. The cup Lewis had been drinking his hot chocolate from went crashing towards the ground. Ignoring the sound of cracking glass, he fixed his gaze on Franny.

"I… what? How?" Lewis whispered, eyes fixated on Franny's stomach.

"It's Jamie's." She managed hoarsely. "I thought the morning sickness was just my way of grieving… and I've only gained a little weight, but I thought it was just a side effect of depression…" She sobbed. Wilbur just looked on, feeling as if he was fading. He knew this was coming but…

"When?" Asked Wilbur worriedly, causing Franny to shiver.

"Two months." She said softly, wringing her hands. "My parents want me to give it up, and I agree mostly… I don't know if I could deal with a reminder of what I lost around me all the time." She admitted in shame. "But… it's also the only thing I have left of Jamie that won't fade…" She shuddered. "I just don't think I'll make a terribly wonderful mother… I'm just a kid myself!" Lewis was still staring at her stomach before raising his eyes to Franny and opening his arms to her. She immediately fell into them, sobbing earnestly. He stroked her hair, a thoughtful look on his face.

"You don't have to decide tonight." Lewis murmured into her hair. "Just breathe."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Pretty wild huh?" Wilbur managed to say, as him and Lewis lay down. Lewis remained silent, but curled up next to the raven-haired boy. "What do you think she'll do?" Wilbur asked few minutes later, voice a little fearful. Lewis remained silent, and right as Wilbur was ready to give up on waiting, Lewis spoke.

"I don't know." Lewis whispered, voice tormented. "I pray she doesn't give her child up… that child deserves to know it's mother." Wilbur squeezed his hand encouragingly. "At the same time," Lewis began slowly, "she shouldn't have to do it alone…"

Wilbur felt his heart plummet to the floor. So this was how it began? With Lewis wanting him to have a family? Somehow it was both comforting and torturous to know that the man he was in love with loved him even as an infant…

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Yet another month passed all to quickly, leaving Wilbur furious at how time had become his enemy. He had a time machine! He could control time! So _why_ did it feel like all the time he shared with Lewis was slipping through his fingers?

What was worse was that Lewis was constantly thinking, over Franny's pregnancy no doubt, and it tormented Wilbur. His time was almost up…One month left. Maybe less… Wilbur shivered, pulling Lewis closer to him as the blond slept restlessly.

"I love you Lewis." Wilbur whispered. "Do you hear me? I _love_ you." He took a shuddering breath. "Please don't make me let you go… please." He knew it was futile. No matter how tempting it was, he couldn't bring himself to let go of the hope he had that they could somehow defeat time. That somehow, they could stay frozen in time, happy, and _safe,_ and in love…

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

It was one week later when the phone rang in the middle of the night. As Wilbur reached for it, he noted bitterly that it was his birthday. He had been waiting for this call, and dreading it all the while. Quietly, so as not to wake Lewis, he flipped open the blonds cell phone and spoke.

"Hello?"

"_Wilbur?"_ A worried male voice came over the line.

"Hey Art… what's up?" "It's Franny. She's in labor. We're taking her to Saint Gabriel's Hospital… Could you wake Lewis and come down here?" 

"We'll be there shortly."

Quickly, the two males said their goodbyes and hung up. Wilbur turned to stare at Lewis, trying to ignore the way his heart was thumping as if it was shattering with every second. He refused to let this moment be ruined… he would keep it, and cherish it, for it would be his last memory of Lewis sleeping he somehow knew.

The spell broke on it's own will when Lewis's eyes fluttered open and came to rest on Wilbur.

"Wilbur?" The sleep-ridden voice questioned blearily.

"Franny is having her baby."

Lewis sat up abruptly, sleep vanquished from his eyes. The two boys got dressed silently and swiftly: one anxious to see his friend in the hospital, the other longing to cry knowing that his time was drawing to an end.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"It's a boy." The doctor announced, smiling widely at the baby, handing the small boy over to the nurse. After rinsing off the baby, the nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket and walked over to Franny, who looked incredibly lifeless. Offering the baby to his mother, the teen girl looked at the child, and shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself and beginning to cry. The nurse sent a worried look in the direction of Lewis and Wilbur, the former who frowned sadly, the latter merely staring at the teen girl sobbing. Lewis took a timid step forward, when Franny shrieked at him.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! You shouldn't be here! You… it should be Jamie… it should be…" She collapsed, sobbing again. Lewis sighed, and grabbed Wilbur's hand, dragging him into the hall. They went to the nursery room, and watched as Franny's child was placed in a cradle. Lewis was staring at the baby, anguish in his eyes.

"Wilbur…" Lewis choked. "She… she can't give him up. She can't! She'd regret it for the rest of her life…" Wilbur nodded, wordlessly agreeing. "At the same time… there's no way she'd be convinced to keep him unless…" Lewis cut off, turning to look Wilbur in the eye. "Unless the baby had a father to help."

"Lewis, what are you thinking?" Wilbur asked calmly, proud his voice didn't crack. Lewis took a deep breath.

"I think… I think I should marry Franny. Convince her to keep the baby by letting her know I'll be there the whole time to take care of him with her. Unless…" Lewis hesitated. "Unless you don't want me to."

So this is what it came down to. Wilbur's future was up to himself… He could choose the path that he knew would lead to the man he had become, or he could choose to be selfish and pray that Lewis would somehow find him… but Lewis wouldn't remember him. If he was erased from the future with Franny and Cornelius as his parents, then it would be as if he never visited the past… Wilbur shuddered. His choice was made.

"I think… I think you should." Wilbur croaked. Lewis looked surprised.

"But… I mean… you don't care?" Lewis asked softly, looking hurt.

"Lewis! Of course I care but… how can I be selfish about this?" Wilbur's eyes drifted to the sleeping baby. "He deserves a family… Even if it means I have to give up the person I love most for him to get it." It was true. He lost Lewis, but gained Cornelius… But still, there had to be some of Lewis left in Cornelius, right?

"We would never be able to be with each other again… it would be to hard." Lewis said quietly.

Wilbur gave a watery smile. "I guess we were never meant to be…" He murmured regretfully.

Tears filled Lewis's eyes. "I wish we lived in another time…" Lewis whispered. "Maybe then I could have you…" Wilbur gave a strangled laugh that sounded more like a sob.

'_If you only knew…_'

"Well… you should get going. Before she signs the papers." Wilbur whispered. Lewis stared at him, tears streaming down his face. Giving a sharp sob, Lewis threw himself at the raven-haired boy, and kissed him frantically. All over his face, Lewis planted kisses, murmuring softly between each one.

"I love you. I love _you._ I _love_ you…"

And Wilbur was kissing him back, just as passionately. After a few minutes, both boys ran out of breath, and stared at each other.

"Goodbye Lewis." Wilbur whispered, before turning sharply and striding away quickly.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Lewis, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Franny whispered, sitting in a wheelchair holding her son in the hospitals chapel area, a serene priest before them.

"Cornelius." The blond whispered.

"What?" Franny asked, completely confused.

"I don't want to be called Lewis anymore… I… Just, call me Cornelius from now on, please?" Lewis pleaded, silently praying she would not question him further. Franny seemed to hear his internal begging, for she nodded.

"Alright." She whispered. Both looked away from each other, hearts stricken with grief. Both heartbroken, and both having lost the most important person in the world to them, the couple slowly made their way up to the alter…

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Wilbur gasped as he ran towards the time machine. He needed to get out of here… he couldn't stay knowing that Lewis was going to marry… her. Never before had he ever loathed his mother, but for a split second Wilbur was furious with her for making Lewis unconsciously choose between them… He had already driven to the Robinson house to get his belongings after stealing Lewis's keys, and now he ran.

When he got to the cave he had hidden the time machine in, he ripped off the cobwebs and jumped in. Seconds later, he was home. He felt sick. How was he supposed to face Cornelius after this? Flying to his home, so different from how it looked eighteen years ago, and yet still the same. Climbing out of the time machine, he contemplated he next course of action… He could go have a heart to heart with his mom… or go find Cornelius. The decision felt obvious, though his stomach churned at the thought of facing the man who raised him after everything that had happened.

It had only been hours since he had technically left, though it had been a year for him. All the same, Wilbur ran to the laboratory, threw open the doors, and was surprised to find no one in the room. Biting his lip, his gaze moved upward to the bookcase that led to the secret room. Taking a shuddering breath, he climbed the ladder swiftly, and quickly found himself face to face with the hidden door. He bit his lip. He was frightened, but… he had to do this. Pushing on the door, he made his way through the archway to find… Cornelius sitting in the moonlight, dressed in jeans and a blue long sleeve shirt. Wilbur felt his breath catch as those familiar blue eyes sought him out.

"Wilbur." The usually warm voice greeted him in monotone.

"Hey." He replied softly, staring longingly, but worriedly at the space next to Cornelius. Smiling faintly, the blond motioned to the floor beside him. Silently, Wilbur went to sit in the empty space.

"Why did you change your name to Cornelius?" Wilbur found himself asking, unable to make eye contact with the older man.

"I didn't want to live every day of my life with Franny calling me the same thing that he… you called me." Cornelius gave a dry chuckle.

Wilbur swallowed. "So… what does this make us?"

"Nothing." Cornelius responded immediately. "We're nothing. It's just… not right. I'm twenty years your senior-"

"Eighteen." Wilbur corrected, smiling hesitantly.

"Not to mention the fact that I'm your _father._ Maybe not biologically, but I helped raise you! And that made you my son." Cornelius muttered bitterly.

"But I'm not your real son!" Wilbur blurted, grasping to make him understand.

"You might as well be." Cornelius whispered.

"All this time… you've… you've been in love with me- with the memory of me?" Wilbur asked, feeling guilt consume him.

"I think you know the answer to that Wilbur." Cornelius replied shortly. A silence drifted between them before Cornelius spoke again. "For a while it was wonderful… the baby reminded me so much of him- you. It was a miracle, because not only were you a piece of Jamie for Franny, you were a piece of my Wilbur… only it turned out you were one and the same." Cornelius shuddered. "When I began to realize it was really you, after I built the time machine… I felt sick. I couldn't eat or sleep for weeks. I was dead, knowing the only person I'd ever been in love with was my son." He bit his lip.

"I'm sorry I missed your birthday so many times… I just couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle knowing that youweren't my Wilbur yet, knowing that the man I wanted to stay with forever was right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything about it… And God spare my soul but I… I'm still in love you Wilbur." Wilbur froze, and turned to stare at the blond, who had tears filling his eyes at the unfairness of it all. "It's wrong. It's all wrong…"

"But I-"

"We **can't** Wilbur..." Cornelius stated sharply. "I… it wouldn't be fair to you."

"But… we live in the future! The life expectancy rate is 50 years higher than it was twenty years ago! Age doesn't matter to me, and you're _not_ my father."

Cornelius shook his head wildly, "Wilbur…"

"Just give me a chance." Wilbur whispered.

Tears began to rapidly descend from Cornelius's eyes. Wishing desperately to make them stop, Wilbur impulsively leaned over and kissed the blond sweetly on the mouth. When he pulled away, shocked blue eyes stared at him. Smiling hesitantly, he exhaled sharply.

"I love you… Lewis." Wilbur murmured. Lewis pulled Wilbur into his arms, tears still flowing, but a bittersweet smile on his face.

"You have no idea," the blond whispered, placing a fervent kiss on Wilbur's head. "how wonderful it is to be called that by you again."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

A/N- So there we go. Credit to the two songs I used in this story- "How I go" by Yellowcard, and "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas. Woot!

So, one week and forty pages later, I would really love feedback. It sustains me, and might just keep this MTR obsession going… 


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